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Ok so I got my lap-top hooked up to my old pc monitor. This should work for the time being.
As I said, training last night was a blast. I'm trying to organize my thoughts so I can track my training in these blog posts, but I feel like there was so much I was working on last night that it's impossible to list them all. Of course, as a de facto beginner I'm still learning the outer form of the movements. I remember thinking at one point during the beginners' class at how I am very much still a beginner. I posted a blog entry a while back where I estimated myself as being "equal" to a one-year student, but minus the conditioning. Presently I'm thinking in different terms: I'm a beginner who isn't afraid of rolls and simple breakfalls. Everything feels new except the feeling of being thrown, which feels like it always did ("hello ground").
Some specifics I'm focusing on right now:mugamae - relax; resting sword/hands more or less on hips; squeezing into the centerline; having an expansive and strong base to free up arms and torso.seigan - relax; using the suppression to fuel subsequent movements (bouncing off the bokuto in various ways as well as working on the basic suppression itself).cutting - relax; extending out the pommel to facilitate extension out the tip of the blade; connecting the cut to the spine and hips; extending through palm chakra w/ feeling similar to "tore no kuchi" (i.e. strong palm contact).aihanmikamae (per last night's sumiotoshi(?) w/ Doug-san) - relax; "initiating" ki draws with lead-side rear shikaku while entering with rearward front shikaku (verify at next practice that I'm remembering correctly); open both sides such that when cutting with free tegatana, it connects through contacted tegatana (connect both sides to the waza).cross-lateral throw (per last night's ikkyo with Russ-san) - relax; rotation of hips/torso creates friction; release only what you need of that.seigan kiri otoshi(?...find out name at next practice for basic blade-on-blade raising and cutting) - relax; get out of your arms; age and sage connected to spine; enter with center.

The last couple nights I've practiced 15-20min. just trying to connect with my bokken and jo focusing on my posture and how different parts feel (particularly hands, elbows, shoulders, hips, knees, feet) while keeping the spine as vertically aligned as I could. It's funny how the mind can wander sometimes; physical activity does stimulate the mind. Some notes to self: work on finding out exactly where things are in the body (proprioception); "hold" onto them while moving.

Was just practicing when I remembered bits of what Doug-san described in kind of grabbing the mat with the feet but without contracting/tightening; it brought to mind a time practicing with another very senior student almost a decade ago who said to imagine rings around my feet expanding. All this while being free to move in any direction instantly from any part of the body. Not entirely sure how accurately I'm remembering, but something to play with.